I. Field
The invention belongs to the field of art of gas-powered outdoor cooking grills and fireplaces, specifically a unit designed for home or consumer use which can function as a grill and a fireplace.
II. Background
Traditional gas-powered outdoor grilling devices are well known in the art, and are very popular for outdoor cooking. These outdoor grilling devices typically include a horizontally disposed rack which is placed directly above the gas-powered flames for cooking. In these types of traditional units, the heat source is encased by the bottom grill base and the horizontally disposed grill is further covered by a hood in order to trap heat and cook food placed on the grill. Thus, in this configuration the flames serve the purpose of heating and cooking the food on the grill, but the flames provide no aesthetic appeal.
Gas-powered outdoor fireplaces are also known in the art, and are generally used to provide heat and/or to provide aesthetic appeal. They are usually crafted to look like a wood-burning fireplace, including fake logs, but offer the conveniences of a gas-powered fireplace, such as the easy start of the fire and the lack of clean-up of wood and ash afterwards. However, these outdoor fireplaces generally do not offer a means for cooking or grilling food. Specifically, they are not equipped with a cooking surface, such as a horizontally disposed rack, means for controlling the intensity of the gas flames or a means for trapping heat to further aid in cooking the food. As such, these gas-powered outdoor fireplaces, while offering the aesthetic appeal of a fire, are not useful for cooking purposes.
The present invention combines the advantages of a gas-powered grill and a gas-powered fireplace to enable the user to use a single unit to cook food and to also enjoy an aesthetically pleasing outdoor fire. Further, the unit includes wheels on its base so that it can be moved to a location the user desires. Additionally, the present invention is further capable of utilizing the heat produced by the fireplace portion of the unit to cook or warm food located in the grill portion of the unit, and may also include various safety mechanisms to ensure the user is not harmed when using the unit.